because big government is not the answer

It’s probably not a good idea to 1. pick a fight with a civilian over essentially nothing 2. attempt to extract money from said civilian 3. have one of your group sucker punch said civilian from behind 4. not even own up to it 5. gang up on civilians in the middle of downtown and 6. run away like cowards when the cops come.

To be fair 99.9% of US military guys I meet are outstanding people, but over the last few years, there have been a growing number of young ones who appear to have no respect nor regard for anyone.

Even when confronted by a senior ex-military man, they show little but mockery and contempt.

I understand these guys are young and most likely have witnessed the unimaginable, but that does not give them the right to intimidate and assault the very people they are meant to be protecting.

The US military arguably – and I still personally believe, wrongly – has an image problem, and acting like thugs to civilians in a foreign country in front of hundreds of people certainly doesn’t help.

Why on Earth did the powers that be lift curfew a couple of years ago?

Myself and a few friends walked past a group of your young soldiers in downtown Daegu last night. It was about 5am, and as the group walked past me and my friends, a lady’s drink was accidentally spilled.

I apologised, and thought that would be the end of it.

What happened next, however, was not good.

About eight of your young soldiers surrounded us and demanded money.

I refused, because considering the dynamics of the situation, I felt if I took my wallet out, I would be mugged.

Then they started shouting and posturing at us, and one of them sucker punched me in the head from behind.

I have bruising and pain around my eye, it hurts to eat, and generally, the bones on the right side of my face ache.

When verbally reprimanded by my friend, an ex-USAF MP, they showed absolute disrespect.

When I told one of them what they were doing at that time was an absolute disgrace, he just grinned and shrugged.

The guy who punched me wouldn’t even own up, and his friends played dumb.

Furthermore, when the cops came, they ran away.

All this was in front of hundreds of people.

I have the utmost respect for the USFK, and 99.9% of the ones I have met are outstanding people.

That said, over the last few years I have noticed a growing thuggery amongst your younger soldiers.

I understand these guys have had to face what can’t even be imagined, but that still gives them no right to intimidate and assault the very people they are meant to be protecting.